Super Bowl IV: The Kansas City Chiefs upset the heavily favored Minnesota Vikings 23–7.
Paul McCartney announces that The Beatles are breaking up.
Apollo program: Apollo 13 (Jim Lovell, Fred Haise, Jack Swigert) is launched toward the Moon.
The U.S. invades Cambodia and anti-war protests erupt nationwide.
Four students at Kent State University in Ohio are killed and nine wounded by Ohio State National Guardsmen, at a protest-against the incursion into Cambodia.
The United States gets its first female Generals: Anna Mae Hays and Elizabeth P. Hoisington.
Jimi Hendrix dies at 27 years old in London, due to alcohol-related complications.
Rock musician Janis Joplin dies in her hotel room at 27 years old.
The Public Broadcasting Service begins broadcasting.
Gary Gabelich drives the rocket-powered Blue Flame to an official land speed record at 622.407 mph (1,001.667 km/h) on the dry lakebed of the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah. The record, the first above 1,000 km/h, stands for nearly thirteen years.
The 1969–1970 recession ends.
Southern Airlines Flight 932 crashes in Wayne County, West Virginia; all 75 on board, including 37 players and 5 coaches from the Marshall University football team, are killed.
The United States Environmental Protection Agency begins operations.
The North Tower of the World Trade Center is topped out at 1,368 feet (417m), making it the tallest building in the world.
U.S. President Richard Nixon signs the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) into law.
1975
Super Bowl IX: The Steelers defeated the Vikings by a score of 16–6.
Altair 8800 is released, sparking the microcomputer revolution.
John N. Mitchell, H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman are found guilty of the Watergate cover-up.
The Federal Rules of Evidence are approved by the United States Congress.
Ella Grasso becomes Governor of Connecticut, the first female U.S. governor who does not succeed her husband.
The Haicheng earthquake, the first successfully predicted earthquake, kills 2,041 and injures 27,538 in Haicheng, Liaoning, China.
Former United States Attorney General John N. Mitchell, and former White House aides H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, are sentenced to between 30 months and 8 years in prison for the Watergate scandal.
In response to the energy crisis, daylight saving time commences nearly 2 months early in the United States.
The United Nations proclaims International Women's Day.
Construction of the Trans-Alaska Pipeline System begins.
In his final game on the sideline, John Wooden coaches UCLA to its 10th national championship in 12 seasons when the Bruins defeat Kentucky 92–85 in the title game at San Diego.
Bill Gates and Paul Allen found Microsoft in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
The Kataeb militia kills 27 Palestinians during an attack on their bus in Ain El Remmeneh, Lebanon, triggering the Lebanese Civil War which lasts until 1990.
1980
Super Bowl XIV: The Pittsburgh Steelers defeated the Los Angeles Rams by a score of 31–19, becoming the first team to win four Super Bowls.
The Rubik's Cube makes its international debut at The British Toy and Hobby Fair, Earl's Court, London.
Israel and Egypt establish diplomatic relations.
The 1980 Winter Olympics open in Lake Placid, New York.
The Voyager 1 probe confirms the existence of Janus, a moon of Saturn.
Rookie Magic Johnson scores 42 points to lead the Los Angeles Lakers to a 123–107 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers to clinch the National Basketball Association championship for the Lakers, who prevail despite the absence of future Basketball Hall of Fame center Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
Pac-Man, the highest-earning arcade game of all time, is released in Japan. The game was originally named "Puck-Man". The name was changed to prevent vandals from changing the " P" to an "F".
The World Health Organization declared that smallpox was eradicated.
The first 24-hour news channel, Cable News Network (CNN) is launched.
Whole Foods was founded in Austin, Texas.
1980 US Census – Total US Population: 226,542,199.
The 1980 Summer Olympics are held in Moscow, Soviet Union. 82 countries boycott the Games, athletes from 16 of them participate under a neutral flag.
Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC), Intel and Xerox introduce the DIX standard for Ethernet, which is the first implementation outside of Xerox and the first to support 10 Mbit/s speeds.
Iran-Iraq war began on September 22, 1980. It is also widely known as the First Persian Gulf war.
John Lennon is murdered outside his New York City apartment building, the Dakota.
1980 United States presidential election: Republican challenger and former Governor Ronald Reagan of California defeats incumbent Democratic President Jimmy Carter and was elected the 40th President of the United States.
1985
Super Bowl XX: The Chicago Bears defeated the New England Patriots by a score of 46–10.
The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
Ronald Reagan is privately sworn in for a second term as President of the United States.
U.S. becomes a debtor nation.
The charity single record "We Are the World" is recorded by USA for Africa.
The U.S. FDA approves a blood test for AIDS, used hereafter to screen all U.S. blood donations.
Mikhail Gorbachev becomes General Secretary of the Soviet Communist Party and de facto leader of the Soviet Union.
Back to the Future opens in American movie theatres and ends up being the highest-grossing film of 1985 in the U.S. and the first film in the successful franchise.
The Space Shuttle Atlantis makes its maiden flight.
8.1 Richter scale earthquake strikes Mexico City. More than 9,000 people are killed.
The first Nintendo home video game console in the United States is released as the Nintendo Entertainment System.
Cold War: In Geneva, U.S. President Ronald Reagan and Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev meet for the first time.
Microsoft Corporation releases the first version of Windows, Windows 1.0.
Route 66 is removed from the United States Highway System.
The popular film "The Color Purple" premieres.
1990
Super Bowl XXIV: The San Francisco 49ers defeated the Denver Broncos by a score of 55–10, winning their second consecutive Super Bowl, and then-tying the Pittsburgh Steelers with four Super Bowl victories.
The first McDonald's in Moscow, Russian SFSR opens 8 months after construction began on
May 3, 1989. 8 months later the first McDonald's in Mainland China is opened in Shenzhen.
Smoking is banned on all cross-country flights in the United States.
Nelson Mandela is released from Victor Verster Prison, near Cape Town, South Africa, after 27 years behind bars.
Mikhail Gorbachev is elected as the first Executive President of the Soviet Union.
The 1990 United States Census begins. There are 248,709,873 residents in the U.S.
Comet Austin, the brightest comet visible from Earth since 1975, makes its closest approach to the sun.
The World Health Organization removes homosexuality from its list of diseases.
Joanne Rowling gets the idea for Harry Potter while on a train from Manchester to London Euston railway station. She begins writing Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone which will be completed in 1995 and published in 1997.
Cold War: U.S. President George H. W. Bush and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev sign a treaty to end chemical weapon production and begin destroying their respective stocks.
The 1990 FIFA World Cup begins in Italy. This was the first broadcast of digital HDTV in history.
1990 FIFA World Cup Final (Association football): West Germany defeats Argentina 1–0 to win the 1990 FIFA World Cup.
The first ban of smoking in bars in the U.S. (and possibly the world) is passed in San Luis Obispo, California.
October 3 – Cold War: East Germany and West Germany reunify into a single Germany.
November 13: The first known web page is written.
The first female Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Margaret Thatcher, resigns after 11 years and is replaced by John Major.
America’s favorite animated family "The Simpsons" is aired on Fox for the first time.
Channel Tunnel workers from the United Kingdom and France meet 40 meters beneath the English Channel seabed, establishing the first ground connection between the United Kingdom and the mainland of Europe since the last ice age.
1995
Super Bowl XXIX: The San Francisco 49ers defeated the San Diego Chargers by the score of 49–26, becoming the first team to win five Super Bowl championships.
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is established to replace the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).
Austria, Finland and Sweden join the European Union.
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman to oversee the U.S. Supreme Court due to the absence of fellow justice William H. Rehnquist.
Oklahoma City bombing: 168 people, including 8 Federal Marshals and 19 children, are killed at the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building and 680 wounded by a bomb set off by Timothy McVeigh and one of his accomplices, Terry Nichols.
The United States government stops funding the NSFNET, making the Internet a wholly
privatized system.
Microsoft releases Windows 95.
Sony enters the video game market with the release of the PlayStation.
O.J. Simpson is found not guilty of double murder for the deaths of former wife Nicole Simpson and Ronald Goldman.
The Indian government officially renames the city of Bombay, restoring the name Mumbai.
NASA’s Galileo spacecraft arrives at Jupiter during December. Upon its arrival, it released a probe into Jupiter’s atmosphere which was able to transmit about an hour of data before it stopped functioning.
Michael Jordan returns to the NBA, ending his retirement.
The 55 MPH limit imposed during the Middle East Crisis in 1973/1974 is ended.
Ebay started the online auction and shopping website, where people buy and sell goods and services worldwide.
DVD, optical disc storage media format, is announced.
Toy Story first ever wholly computer-generated film is released.
2000
Super Bowl XXXIV: The Rams defeated the Titans by a score of 23–16.
America Online announces an agreement to purchase Time Warner for $162 billion (the
largest-ever corporate merger).
The Dow Jones Industrial Average closes at 11,722.98 (at the peak of the Dot-com bubble).
Millennium Force opens at Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio as the world's tallest and fastest roller coaster.
The Tagish Lake meteorite impacts the Earth in Canada.
The final original Peanuts comic strip is published, following the death of its creator, Charles M. Schulz the day prior.
The PlayStation 2 is released in Japan, followed by other releases in western markets in late 2000.
France defeats Italy 2–1 after extra time in the final of the European Championship, becoming the first team to win the World Cup and European Championship consecutively.
The Nintendo GameCube is revealed.
Steve Jobs introduces the public beta of Mac OS X for US$29.95.
Bush v. Gore: The United States Supreme Court rules that the recount of the 2000 presidential election in Florida should be halted and the original results be certified, thus making George W. Bush the winner of the U.S. presidential election.
2005
Super Bowl XXXIX: The Patriots defeated the Eagles by a score of 24–2.
Eris, the most massive known dwarf planet in the Solar System, is discovered.
The Huygens spacecraft lands on Titan, the largest moon of Saturn.
George W. Bush is inaugurated for a second term as President of the United States.
North Korea announces that it possesses nuclear weapons as a protection against the hostility it says it perceives from the United States.
YouTube is launched. The first ever YouTube video is uploaded, titled Me at the Zoo.
Pope John Paul II dies.
The Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter is launched from Cape Canaveral, designed to explore Mars.
Hurricane Katrina makes landfall along the U.S. Gulf Coast, causing severe damage and killing over a thousand people and dealing an estimated $108 billion in damage.
The trial of Saddam Hussein begins.
Surgeons in France carry out the first human face transplant with Isabelle Dinoire becoming the first person to undergo it.
Scientists announce that they have created mice with small amounts of human brain cells in-an-effort to make realistic models of neurological disorders.
2010
Super Bowl XLIV: The Saints defeated the Colts by a score of 31–17.
The tallest man-made structure to date, the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, is
officially opened.
A 7.0-magnitude earthquake occurs in Haiti, devastating the nation's capital, Port-au-Prince. With a confirmed death toll over 316,000 it is the tenth deadliest on record.
Yemen declares an open war against the terrorist group al-Qaeda.
The 2010 Flash Crash, a trillion-dollar stock market crash, occurs over 36 minutes, initiated by a series of automated trading programs in a feedback loop.
Five paintings worth €100 million are stolen from the Musée d'Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris.
The 2010 FIFA World Cup is held in South Africa and is won by Spain.
The World Health Organization declares the H1N1 influenza pandemic over.
First (test) Instagram posts made by co-developers Mike Krieger and Kevin Systrom in San Francisco.
2015
Super Bowl XLIX: New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks 28–24 to earn their fourth Super Bowl title.
148 people are killed, the majority students, in a mass shooting at the Garissa University College in Kenya, perpetrated by the militant terrorist organization Al-Shabaab.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declares that rubella has been eradicated from the
Americas.
ISIS captures the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria.
NASA's New Horizons spacecraft performs a close flyby of Pluto, becoming the first spacecraft in history to visit the distant world.
Cuba and the United States reestablish full diplomatic relations, ending a 54-year stretch of
hostility between the nations.
NASA announces that liquid water has been found on Mars.
The Islamic Military Counter Terrorism Coalition is formed in-order-to fight terrorism.
SpaceX lands an unmanned Falcon 9 rocket, the first reusable rocket to successfully enter orbital space and return.
2017
Super Bowl LI is dubbed “the greatest Super Bowl of all time”. Trailing behind the Atlanta
Falcons, the New England Patriots made a 25-point comeback. New England Patriots defeats the Atlanta Falcons 34-28 in overtime.
Donald Trump, a Republican New York City businessman, is sworn in as the 45th President of the United States. Trump is the first person to be elected President of the United States who was neither a political office holder nor a military general.
Millions of people worldwide join the Women's March in response to the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States. 420 marches were reported in the U.S. and 168 in other countries, becoming the largest single-day protest in American history and the largest worldwide protest in recent history.
The Nintendo Switch is released.
SpaceX conducts the world's first re-flight of an orbital class rocket.
Hurricane Harvey strikes the United States as a Category 4 hurricane, causing catastrophic damage to the Houston metropolitan area, mostly due to record-breaking floods. At least 108 deaths are recorded, and total damage reaches $125 billion (2017 USD), making Harvey the costliest natural disaster in United States history, tied with Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Cassini–Huygens ends its 13-year mission by plunging into Saturn, becoming the first spacecraft to enter the planet's atmosphere.
Fifty-nine people are killed and 868 injured when Stephen Paddock opens fire on a crowd in Las Vegas, surpassing the 2016 Orlando nightclub shooting as the deadliest mass shooting
perpetrated by a lone gunman in U.S. history.
The Walt Disney Company announces that it will acquire most of 21st Century Fox, including the 20th Century Fox film studio, for $66 billion.
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